- Our Batter is Better!

September 30, 2009

It's great to be thinking, "WOW! This is great!" and then something else comes up and it's "WOW! It even gets better!" That is how things have been lately around here at Daddy Cakes®. We have been absolutely buried, but in only the best of ways. Almost every week we have been involved in multiple events, fundraisers, new store openings, and they are all so positive and incredible community based events that bring literally thousands of people together.

Last week we were involved with the 16th Annual Telluride Blues and Brews Festival in Telluride, CO where approximately 20,000 people come to enjoy a wonderful festival. The Telluride Elk's Club ran a Daddy Cakes pancake breakfast three mornings in a row. Reportedly, the Elk's organization is the 2nd largest source of funding for educational grants - 1st Place is the Federal Government.

Then this coming weekend, Daddy Cakes® is going to be in Dana Point, CA for the 2nd Annual "Battle of the Paddle" where several thousand people will be in attendance to check out the event and Brian Hovenanian "Hovie" is going to be set up with his latest Stand Up Paddleboarding Hovie SUP boards and gear and we will be serving up some delicious Daddy Cakes on Saturday morning.

Then, it's "Soccer Sunday" for the AYSO Region 57 in Newport Beach and Corona del Mar area where about 1,800 kids will show up for their pancake breakfast and then soccer pictures. It's always a great time and the kids are such a blast to watch.

It is all so much fun! Beyond these activities there is so much more that we will try and let you know about. Please come out to any of the public events you can.

September 15, 2008

There's always a lot of fun people at festivals and you really never know who you are going to meet. Levi introduced me to one of those people when we were at the Blues & Brews Festival in Telluride. It went something like this; "Dan this is Hawkeye". The thoughts of the guy from that old series M*A*S*H popped into my mind and I was thinking that maybe he was a Doctor or something like the character in the show. Well it turns out that this "Hawkeye" is way more interesting and I wanted to give you the chance to get to know a little about him and his story. Let's just say that he is an awesome guy on the first introduction and I get the feeling any followup interactions would be just as enjoyable - that being said....after I heard his story, I thought more about "Run Forest Run" from the Forest Gump movie - Hawkeye loves to hike. Read his story below and if you are inclined, maybe you can kick a couple of coins to the cause he supports through his efforts. (It says on his website that "100% money raised benefits TASP; TASP is a 501(3)c non-profit organization and donations are tax deductible".)

By the way, he is 1 of only a couple of people in the world to be able claim the title of "Triple Crown Hiker" and in the near future he was telling me that he will be a "Double Triple Crown" for doing it twice! The "Triple Crown" is – 7,400 miles through 22 states - on the 3 U.S. National Park Scenic Trails. (Pacific Crest – 2,645-miles from Mexico to Canada, Appalachian Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail - reportedly more than 1,000,000 feet up uphill climb when all assents combined)

Triple Crown long distance hiker, Hawkeye Johnson, prepares for another 3,000 mile, 5 month backpacking journey on the Continental Divide Trail, from Mexico to Canada, in an effort to raise money for TASP, the Telluride Adaptive Sports Program. TASP is a non-profit dedicated to enriching the lives of people with disabilities by providing educational and recreational opportunities that develope life skills and personal growth.

I have been involved with TASP for the past 7 years as a blind guide and ski/snowboard Instructor. My journey will begin on April 27th, 2007 on the Mexican border in New Mexico. I will hike north to Telluride, Colorado and spend a week promoting the hike at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in late June. I will rejoin the trail at the Canadian border in Montana and hike south back to Telluride. I hope to raise money by pledges per mile and donations. I will post a journal with pictures on this page so that anyone interested may track my progress.

June 05, 2008

I brought my family to Yellowstone about four years ago, my son’s were only 6 mos and 2 ½ years old ( my oldest son called the baby buffalo “Baby Bubbalo”.My friend Bill had a motorhome and we rented one – it was our first motorhome experience.Bill and his wife Tracy had their daughter who was also about 6 months old.We hiked with our kids loaded in backpack all around Yellowstone – the kids don’t remember much of it, but there was a lot of things that the kids made memorable for us.

So this is trip to Yellowstone without family & kids is really different –If you haven’t made it to Yellowstone National Park, then I highly recommend you book it – even if you don’t camp.It is truly a beautiful area and incredible opportunities to see wildlife – in the wild (go figure).

We are here for fishing and fishing in Yellowstone is something really special.They even have their own type of trout – the Yellowstone Trout.It looks kind of like a Rainbow trout only different.We fished an area called “Fire Hole”.I caught five of the Yellowstone Trout and said my “Hellos” before releasing them back to the stream.I wish that I had brought my camera with me when I was fishing.I was wading across the river and underneath the water was some sort of skull – I think it was a big elk skull…that was kind of an erie.Then about ¼ mile down the stream there was the dead buffalo that looked like a bear had eaten half of it….yeah that makes you just a little nervous when you are standing waist deep in water and realize that there is something that probably isn’t afraid of you in the neighborhood.All that and yes I still think you should pony up and get yourself to Yellowstone sometime.Here’s a couple of pictures from our time in Yellowstone National Park.

June 02, 2008

I use to work a corporate sales job and I thought “How cool would it be to be Self Employed and work my own hours”.Well now being self employed I realize that running a business and owning a company never stops – even on vacation.Even though Daddy Cakes® consumes much of my life, my brothers, and my families, I wouldn’t change it for the world. Even though I probably enjoyed more things like this when I worked in the corporate world, there isn’t a corner office in the world that could compete with one like this – being able to look out and see foxes, deer, and Prong Horns strolling by with a mountain lake in the background doesn’t suck.

Here's the cabin we are staying in - it was just built about a year ago so it has that "New Cabin" smell and feel.

Family has always been important to us. So when people started telling us that we made better baked goods that worked great for todays generation and that were easier for active families - everything around here got really exciting!